Hello Steemians! As the title suggests, the EU in an Ice Age?
Image retrieved from: awildgeographer.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/john_muir_glacier.jpg
Not now by any means. But, what I want to share with you is one item that keeps Europe a nice and mild climate.
The UK in its position on the globe is farther north and most every state in the United States except for Alaska. Higher than Maine, Minnesota, Michigan, and even Washington State, you would imagine the British Isles would be much colder in the winter time. I would imagine they would be much colder all the time. Europe itself is much closer to the North Pole than most of the US. The very northern points of Italy are approximately as far north as the top of the lower peninsula of Michigan. The map below shows you just how far north everything is in Europe. It shows that central Germany would be farther north than Montreal.
Image retrieved from: public.media.smithsonianmag.com/legacy_blog/02_18_2013_gulf-stream-50th.jpg
So, what keeps the area so mild and not looking like Canada during winter?
Well…. The main this is the following: the Atlantic Meridional overturning current (AMOC)
Image retrieved from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_meridional_overturning_circulation#/media/File:OCP07_Fig-6.jpg
This current brings up the warm water from the equator to keep the atmosphere around Europe much more mild than it would be if the AMOC didn’t exist. Models show that if the water ice in the Arctic and in the Greenland ice sheet were to melt, then the ocean water in the North Atlantic would be less saline. And, this would cause an interruption in the AMOC. It could very well shirt entirely so that the warm water never makes it up to the European coasts.
So, should the current no longer be moving toward Europe then you can assume that the same winters that grip Canada would grip the UK, France, Germany. The brisk winters seen in Moscow would be common place in Berlin and Paris.
It’s a scary scenario. But, its one to be mindful of in future events. As the climate changes and we adjust to it, there will be swings in the pendulum. Some areas will see record breaking warmth. Others would see extreme winters and potential new Ice Ages gripping millions of people.
Information relating to the AMOC was obtained from: editors.eol.org/eoearth/wiki/The_Potential_for_Abrupt_Change_in_the_Atlantic_Meridional_Overturning_Circulation#Evidence_for_State_of_the_AMOC_During_the_Last_Glacial_Maximum
Thanks for reading! If you like this post be sure to provide an upvote! And If you like the content I’m providing be sure to follow to get more! Thank you again!